Spotlight Tour: Daniel's True Desire by Grace Burrowes + Giveaway!

Hello! Today I am happy to have the ever-talented Grace Burrowes visiting. I hope that you will enjoy her guest post on what constitutes a true gentleman, as well as the following excerpt from her latest novel, Daniel's True Desire.

The Joys of True Gentlemanliness… by Grace Burrowes

About twenty books ago, I lamented (whined) to one of my brothers that coming up with ways to challenge a romance hero into facing his worst fears and risking all to win the heroine’s heart was taxing my imagination. My brother, without a heartbeat’s pause said, “Make him choose between the competing demands of honor.”

THAT was great advice. Make the hero choose between the woman who needs him, and the military unit depending on him. Make him choose between avenging injustices from his past, or respecting the wishes of the pacifist woman he loves. Make him decide whether to be publicly vindicated or privately forgiving… Delightful stuff, for an author!

And yet, to travel along these brilliant character arcs, our hero must have one characteristic: He must have a well-developed sense of honor. To me, that means this fellow must be honest and kind. He can be poor, grouchy, lacking in charm, without prospects, unlucky in love—Daniel Banks is nodding his head—but ideally, he will still be a true gentleman at heart.

The true gentleman, alas for him, can be tormented from page one by the author and by the story, but from the start, the true gentleman will play by the rules of decency.

Rules are tough. The true gentleman will never misrepresent himself, which means Daniel Banks must inform Lady Kirsten that a) he’s married, and b) he won’t disrespect his vows. Too bad for Daniel, this honesty only raises him in the lady’s esteem, when he’s trying to emphasize his unsuitability.

The true gentleman will lend a hand—or an ear—to those in need. When Daniel Banks realizes that Lady Kirsten has been overlooked by her entire family, and is as lonely as an earl’s daughter can be, the least he can do is listen when she explains the misery in her past. Again, his respect for, and understanding of her increases, but what else could a gentleman have done?

The true gentleman is kind. He does not ignore the suffering of others, even if that means, he’s left with a bigger helping of suffering on his own plate. When Lady Kirsten needs a champion to fight her battles with an overbearing brother, Daniel steps up, though it might cost him his position. Once again, Daniel’s decency only gets him in hotter water, because now Kirsten’s brother is also viewing the impecunious, reserved, sometimes grouchy, vicar with renewed respect.

This business of being a true gentleman is darned hard, and darned heroic. What Daniel has to learn, though, is that true gentlemanliness begins at home. When he’s honest with himself, and shows himself the compassion we all deserve, all the inconvenient rules, tough choices, and honorable standards turn out to have been his second-best friends.

Lady Kirsten is, of course, his very best friend, being a true lady. But that’s another story…  

Excerpt from Daniel’s True Desire

Daniel Banks is the new vicar in Haddondale, temporarily a guest of Lady Kirsten’s family. They’ve dragooned him into tutoring some of the local boys, and Kirsten is managing the staff who’ll turn the dower house into a place of learning. What Daniel doesn’t know is how a married man, even one estranged from his unworthy spouse, can resist the allure of friendship with Lady Kirsten…

“I dread crossing the garden,” Lady Kirsten said. “Susannah has taken up reading old issues of La Belle Assembleé, Della is memorizing DeBrett’s, and the countess talks only of fashion. Nobody does anything.”

“Most would envy them their idleness,” Daniel said, though he did not. The earl gave a good account of himself, tending to significant acreage and mercantile interests, but the women were bored.

One of the women was mortally bored, though never boring.

“I want to take the vicarage in hand,” Lady Kirsten said, marching from the pantry. “I doubt I’ll have time before we leave for Town the week after next. Lemon and beeswax won’t cure rising damp any way.”

Nothing cured rising damp save for replacing every scrap of affected wood. “You’re leaving soon, then?”

The prospect of distance from Lady Kirsten should have been a relief. She was unconventional, discontent, and unpredictable. Worse yet, she was patient with small boys, had a strong streak of domestic competence, and could not dissemble even to appease appearances.

Most troublesome of all, Daniel liked her. A lot.

“I smell fresh bread.” Lady Kirsten’s pace increased, then she halted to twist a sachet from behind a curtain. “Nicholas told George that in addition to Digby and the Blumenthal brats, you’re to take on both of Squire Webber’s sons. He aspires to send them to public school, but they lack a foundation.”

And years of dedicated tutors had been unable to remedy that lack? “I think you had better join me for lunch,” Daniel said resuming their progress toward a hot meal.

“I believe I shall. I adore a hearty beef stew with bread and butter on a cold, rainy day. Cook uses Mama’s recipe, and I’m partial to it.”

Peasant fare, for an earl’s daughter. Daniel liked her entirely too well.

A scullery maid set places for them at a wooden table heavy enough to double as a threshing floor, while Lady Kirsten served up bowls of steaming stew and Daniel sliced the bread. Daniel held the lady’s chair, and then, without even a nod in the direction of further small talk, took shameless advantage of his companion.

“I want to know every detail you can share about my scholars, Lady Kirsten. They’re shaping up to be a pack of ne’er-do-wells, scamps and scapegraces. One wonders if the parish isn’t attempting to run me off rather than welcome me.”

She snapped her serviette across her lap. “They’re out and out rotters, every one save for Digby, but George says he’s showing dubious potential. Don’t steal all the butter.”

Daniel passed her ladyship the plate of butter, small golden molds in the shape of roses.

“Your butter, and Lord-we-thank-Thee-for-this-food, amen. Now tell me about these scoundrels.”

Lady Kirsten sat back, her smile indulgent. “I’ve known them since they were babies, Mr. Banks. They’re full of energy and mischief, and there’s not a Latin scholar among them. They are truly, truly awful.”

She loved these rotten boys, and—greatest possible inconvenience—Daniel regarded this her most attractive quality of all.

***

About the Book:

An honorable life

Daniel Banks is a man of the cloth whose vocation is the last comfort he has left-and even his churchman's collar is beginning to feel like a noose. At the urging of family, Daniel attempts to start his life over as vicar in the sleepy Kentish town of Haddondale, family seat to the earls of Bellefonte.

Challenged by passion

Lady Kirsten Haddonfield has resigned herself to a life of spinsterhood. Then the handsome new village vicar, Reverend Daniel Banks, becomes a guest of the Haddonfield family while the vicarage is being renovated, and Kirsten finds herself rethinking her position. Lady Kirsten does not know that Daniel's past is about to cast a shadow on love's future.

Buy Links

Amazon - Barnes and Noble - iBooks

 

Author Biography

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Grace Burrowes' bestsellers include The Heir, The Soldier, Lady Maggie's Secret Scandal, Lady Sophie's Christmas Wish and Lady Eve's Indiscretion. Her Regency romances have received extensive praise, including starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist. Grace is branching out into short stories and Scotland-set Victorian romance with Sourcebooks. She is a practicing family law attorney and lives in rural Maryland.

Social Media Links

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review: Tremaine's True Love by Grace Burrowes

Tremaine's True Love
by Grace Burrowes

Genre: Romance / Historical

Ages: 17 and up

I received an e-copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Description:

Wealthy wool magnate Tremaine St. Michael is half French, half Scottish, and all business. He prowls the world in search of more profits, rarely settling in one place for long. When he meets practical, reserved Lady Nita Haddonfield, he sees an opportunity to mix business with pleasure by making the lady his own.

Nita Haddonfield has a meaningful life tending to others, though nobody is dedicated to caring for Nita. She insists the limitations of marriage aren't for her, then Tremaine St. Michael arrives-protective, passionate, and very, very determined to win Nita's heart.

My Thoughts:

I am sad to say this book was a disappointment. I love Grace Burrowes, but this book was just...a little off. It was still an entertaining read, but not up to her usual standards. The story wandered a little, the path littered with conversations largely concerning either sheep or medicine or both, leaving me with several questions and the realization that I would rather have been reading a book about the much more interesting side plot. Now that I've finished complaining, I'll tell you what I actually liked about it.

Nita is a great heroine. Her passion for healing and her empathy for the unfortunate made her instantly likable, and her strength against the disapprobation of her won me over completely. Tremaine was likable as well, if a little bland in comparison to Grace Burrowes' other heroes. He has a tender heart that he doesn't want anyone else to know about and shows a huge amount of respect for Nita throughout their courtship.

The side characters stole the stage more than once, particularly George Haddonfield, Nita's wayward younger brother, and Elsie Nash, their widowed neighbor. I would have liked to see more of them and less sheep.

Overall, this book was okay so long as you don't get your hopes up too high.

Content Ratings: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence
1 (mild) through 10 (extreme).

Profanity:
I give it a 4.10 for some mild to mid-level profanity.

Sexuality:
I rate it 7.10 for a couple of scenes of varying explicitness as well as several references and some innuendo.

Violence:
I give it 4.10 for attempted murder (sort of), illnesses and injury.

                                   Lieder Madchen

Book Review: The Duke's Disaster by Grace Burrowes

The Duke's Disaster
by Grace Burrowes

Genre: Romance / Historical

Ages: 17 and up

Note: I received an e-copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Description:

Noah Winters, Earl of Anselm, spent months sorting and courting the year's crop of debutantes in search of an ideal bride. When the sweet, biddable young thing he selected accepts another's proposal, Noah decides to court her companion instead.

Thea Collins, though, is anything but biddable. She has learned the hard way that men are not to be trusted, especially the handsome ones. When she reluctantly accepts, Noah rushes Thea to the altar before she can reveal her deepest secret. Can she finally move on from her past, or will it come back to haunt her?

My Thoughts:

I really, really liked this book. Don't let the cover fool you; Grace Burrowes books aren't really bodice rippers, even if they sometimes look like it. Which is not to say that they don't have plenty of steamy romance - because they do. It is just that the term 'bodice ripper' implies a certain amount of shallowness that her books do not possess. While I have loved all of her books that I have read so far, The Duke's Disaster is one of my favorites.

Noah is adorable. He's a grouchy bear of a man who is honest to a fault, slow to anger, and eminently cuddle-able. Thea is very nearly as good a character with her practical attitude and mysterious past. Each one of their conversations was wonderfully realistic and made me want to hug them both as they struggled to learn to trust each other and slowly fell in love.

What I really loved the most about this book, though, was the beautiful writing. Every single word was perfectly chosen, painting a luxuriously detailed picture of characters and setting alike. I don't think I've ever seen an author convey emotion so well.

Overall, this book was great. Thea's 'dark secret' could have been resolved faster, but I understand why it wasn't so that is a very small complaint, easily washed away by the spectacular writing and characters. I highly recommend this book to lovers of Gaelen Foley, sweet romance, and emotional angst.

Content Ratings: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence
1 (mild) through 10 (extreme).


Profanity:
I rate it a 4.10 for some mid-level swearing and name-calling.


Sexuality:
I give it 7.10 for a few scenes of varying explicitness.


Violence:
I rate it 5.10 for references to rape, attempted rape, kidnapping, and fighting.


                    Lieder Madchen

Series Review: Blood Hunter, Books 1-4 by Nina Croft

Blood Hunter Series, books 1-4
by Nina Croft

The series is also known as the Dark Desires series.

Genre: Science Fiction / Fantasy / Romance / Action / Adventure

Ages: 18 and up

Note: Because this is a series review, there will be spoilers in all but the first one, since even the premises of the subsequent novels give hints to the previous ones.

I received e-copies of these books through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Break Out (Rico & Skylar)

Description:

The year is 3048, Earth is no longer habitable, and man has fled to the stars where they’ve discovered the secret of immortality—Meridian. Unfortunately, the radioactive mineral is exorbitantly expensive and only available to a select few. A new class comprised of the super rich and immortal soon evolves. The Collective, as they’re called, rule the universe.

Two-thousand-year-old Ricardo Sanchez, vampire and rogue pilot of the space cruiser, El Cazador, can’t resist two things: gorgeous women and impossible jobs. When beautiful Skylar Rossaria approaches him to break a prisoner out of the Collective’s maximum security prison on Trakis One, Rico jumps at the chance. Being hunted by the Collective has never been so dangerous–or so fun!

My Thoughts:

I'm always on the lookout for a fun new space opera and Break Out certainly fits the bill.The stage is a Firefly-esque spaceship full of misfits who pull dubious jobs while trying to survive a dangerous universe. When they are hired to break a prisoner out of jail, they get more trouble than they bargained for.

I love the crew of El Cazador de la Sangre. Rico, the hero, is the charming, ne'er-do-well vampire/owner/pilot. Captain Tannis is the standoffish but unfailingly loyal captain. Janey (of the dark and dubious past), Daisy (who is actually part daisy due to genetic experiments), Al (a suspicious cabin boy) and the Trog (who is mostly very quiet) fill out the rest of the crew. And then there is Skylar, who is lying to them all and yet cannot helped but start to care for them.

The pace is fast-moving, but not so fast that you miss out on the world building, which was very well done. I got a very clear view of the galaxy El Cazador travels without ever feeling like there was too much exposition. Overall, a solid, entertaining beginning to a series. I wouldn't recommend reading it as a standalone, though, because there are several things that are left unexplained.

Deadly Pursuit (Jon & Alex)

Deadly Pursuit picks up right where Break Out ends; with El Cazador and her crew in deep trouble. Jon, the newly liberated werewolf assassin, stars as the hero along with High Priestess Alexia, formerly known as Al when people thought she was a boy. The crew just keeps getting more and more diverse by the page. With a member of the Collective and the figurehead leader of the Church of the Everlasting God aboard, it is only a matter of time before they get someone from the Rebel Coalition to join in the fun, right?

Jon and Alex make a great team and Jon has possibly the best character arc in the series (at least so far). He's a loner with no interest in making friends or falling in love, especially not with a naive, fragile girl. He has lost too many people to want to care about someone who can't protect herself. Their relationship has a touch more sweetness than Rico and Skylar's tempestuous romance.

I like how this series has just the right amount of self-awareness when it comes to the improbabilities and coincidences that conspire to get the characters into trouble. It doesn't overdo it and laugh out loud at itself, but every once in a while there is a quiet chuckle. There are some serious themes that come into play, but mostly it is just good, lighthearted fun.

Death Defying (Callum & Tannis)

Callum Meridian, Leader of the Universe and discoverer of the element that makes people immortal, is a very complex hero. For one, he is not particularly heroic.He has done terrible things over the centuries, some deliberate, others through carelessness, and only now is he beginning to realize the extent of the repercussions. For some reason, this makes him one of my favorite characters in the series, which is weird, because I don't usually go for the morally ambiguous types.

Tannis, captain of El Cazador, is not a particularly heroic person either. Or, at least, she doesn't picture herself as such. Her actions say differently on more than one occasion. While Callum is strangely fascinating, Tannis is the one I wish I could have as a friend.

Death Defying is significantly darker than the previous books. There are not so many laughs, but instead there are dazzling displays of temper, lovely new characters (I knew the Rebel Coalition would show up sometime), answers to questions that I have been asking since the beginning, and a wonderful aha! moment when I realized just how much sneaky foreshadowing led up to the finale. I'm not sure whether said foreshadowing was planned ahead or not, but either way, it was very, very well done.

This book is the one that really cements all the world building of the previous novels and ups the scope of the storyline from this point on.

Temporal Shift (Devlin & Seffira)

Ah, Devlin and Seffira. Since time travel has now been introduced to the series, they have a very difficult time of it. I'm just sadistic enough to admit that I enjoyed every minute of their troubles.

We first met Devlin Starke, the handsome leader of the Rebel Coalition, in Death Defying. Grieving at the loss of his brother, he is out for revenge. This revenge gets sidetracked when he goes through a black hole and into another world. A world that has a very pretty, very young woman who sees the future and promptly informs Devlin that he is going to fall in love with her and together they will save mankind. Devlin says no way in heck and that is how the rocky romance of Devlin and Seffira begins.

I don't want to spoil too much, so I can't tell you my favorite things in this book. I will just say that it takes some very interesting twists and turns, contains several moments that made me laugh and a finale to beat all finales. Ah, the joys of time travel, alien secrets, paradoxes, d-...Nope, not allowed to mention that one. You will just have to find out for yourself when you read the book. I'm not sure exactly where the series is going, but from what has been revealed so far, I like it.

Rating System: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence
1 (mild) through 10 (extreme). Ratings may contain spoilers.

Profanity:
I rate it an 8.10 for quite a bit of swearing and multiple uses of the f-word.

Sexuality:
I give it an 8.10 for multiple scenes of varying explicitness and a great deal of innuendo.

Violence:
I rate it an 8.10 for fights, torture, murder, attempted rape, kidnapping, etc.

                       Lieder Madchen

Book Blast Review + Excerpt + Giveaway! A Matter of Grave Concern by Brenda Novak

A Matter of Grave Concern
by Brenda Novak

Genre: Historical / Suspense / Romance / Mystery

Ages: 18 and up

I received an advance e-copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Description:

When Maximillian Wilder joins the notorious body snatchers known as the London Supply Company, the last thing on his mind is love. He’s worried about Madeline, his vanished half sister, who was last seen in the company of Jack Hurtsill, the gang’s conscienceless leader. Raiding graveyards, stealing corpses, and selling them to medical colleges as dissection material is dirty work, but he has to gain Jack’s trust. He’s determined to find out what happened to Madeline—and to bring Jack to justice if she was murdered for the coin her body could bring.

Beautiful, spirited Abigail Hale, daughter of the surgeon at Aldersgate School of Medicine, detests the challenging, hard-bargaining Max. But she must procure the necessary specimens if she is to save the college and her father’s career. She believes she is going to be successful—until Jack double-crosses her. Then she’s swept into a plot of danger and intrigue, one where Max must intervene and protect her, no matter the risk to his plan . . . or his heart.

Excerpt:

“Make that fifteen.” A deep voice interrupted, and for the first time, Abigail looked directly at the man standing to the side and slightly behind Big Jack. His clothes bore as much dirt and his face as much beard growth as the rest of the group, but he was different. Not only was he significantly taller, he carried himself with a certain…authority.

How had she not noticed him before?

She’d been doing her best to block him and the others from her consciousness, she reminded herself.

Her gaze locked with an intense pair of sea-green eyes. “Why, that’s highway robbery! My father has never paid a resurrectionist more than nine guineas, six shillings. I’ve got it all in a book, right here.” She tapped the top of the desk to convince him.

When he smiled, his teeth looked clean and mostly straight, another detail that set him apart from his companions. “Evidently, you’re not a pupil of economics, or not a very good one, Miss Hale. Short supply, high demand, prices go up. Sometimes significantly. Fifteen guineas. No less.”

Those short, clipped sentences bore no Cockney accent and revealed a definite culture to his voice, causing Abigail to wonder if she had been dealing with the wrong man all along. She couldn’t imagine this stranger taking orders from anyone, much less the likes of Jack Hurtsill.  

“Blimey, Max,” one of the other men muttered.

Drawing herself up to her fullest height, which was at least ten inches shy of this Max’s six feet something, Abigail clung tenaciously to her composure. “At this point, I would rather you take your ‘large’ and go.” Surely, there had to be other resurrection men she could contact; she hadn’t gone through all the names she heard muttered about the halls of the college and St. Bart’s Hospital next door. “I have seen naught but the head, and that small sample revealed a nasty wound.”

“There’s not a mark on the rest of him,” Max responded coolly. “We offered to show you, but you refused.”

Abigail had no intention of letting this body-snatcher tempt her into dumping the body out onto the rug as she had almost let them do before. “Mr. Hurtsill—I mean, Big Jack, here, was about to say ten guineas. I will go that high.”

“I’m afraid it’s not high enough,” Max countered.

“You’re a fast study, mate.” Jack slapped him on the back but didn’t interfere. Instead, he turned a challenging smile on Abigail and waited for her response.

“Then go,” she said, shooing them away. “Take Mr. Whoever He Is and leave. I will not let you rob me. Not if I can help it.”

“And what if you can’t?” Insolence lit the eyes of the man identified as Max. “Perhaps we should wait here for your father. No doubt he will have better sense of what a corpse is worth at the present time, although I doubt he would want us loitering about the place. What’s it been…eighteen months or so since those two surgeons were prosecuted for receiving and dissecting stolen bodies? With a possible knighthood on the horizon, and such a close tie to Sir Astley Cooper—the sergeant surgeon of the late king himself, no less—it would be quite unfortunate if your father were to be found dealing with the likes of us, wouldn’t you say?”

Abigail’s jaw dropped at the not-so-subtle threat. Perhaps she had underestimated these sack ’em up men. This man, anyway. “If what you have brought is worth so much Mr.…Max, is it?”

He gave her a mocking bow and added his last name, as if to prove he feared nothing from her. “Wilder. Maximillian Wilder at your service, Miss.”

My Thoughts:

I loved this book. It was the perfect blend of intriguing romantic suspense and fascinating historical details. The heroine is bold, intellectual, do-what-needs-to-be-done Abigail. I liked her immediately and grew to like her even more as the story progressed. Max, on the other hand, took some getting to know, and even then I wanted to smack him upside the head sometimes. I always forgave him, though...eventually.

I've read a lot of books set in the time period (early to mid-1800s), but none about the resurrectionists, so it was interesting to learn some new things. The author stayed away from the gorier details of body snatching, instead touching more on the controversy surrounding it.

Interesting historical setting and moral issues aside, this book had a good story. The action scenes and romantic scenes were well-balanced and the heroine - did I mention I loved the heroine? - was strong and occasionally surprising. The ending was just a trifle rushed and neatly tied up, but only a little bit.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good adventure with plenty of kissing and a little more substance than your typical romance novel.

Rating System: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence
1 (mild) through 10 (extreme). Ratings may contain spoilers.

Profanity:

I rate it 5.10 for some mild to mid-level swearing.

Sexuality:

I give it an 8.10 for multiple scenes of varying explicitness.

Violence:

I rate it a 7.10 for murder, intended rape, references to sexual abuse and injuries, none of which are graphically described.

About the Author:

New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author Brenda Novak is the author of more than fifty books. A four-time Rita nominee, she has won many awards, including the National Reader’s Choice, the Bookseller’s Best, the Book Buyer’s Best, the Daphne, and the Holt Medallion. She also runs an annual on-line auction for diabetes research every May at www.brendanovak.com (her youngest son has this disease). To date, she’s raised over $2 million. For more about Brenda, please visit www.brendanovak.com.

Follow me on Twitter

Like me on Facebook

Buy link

********

And here's the giveaway! Ms. Novak is giving away a $100 Amazon gift-card to one random winner during the tour! Best of luck to you all; please feel free to leave a comment and check out the rest of the tour. Dates and blog links can be found here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Series Review: The Titan Series by Cristin Harber, Part 1

The Titan Series (Books 1-3)
by Cristin Harber

Genre: Action / Romance / Adventure / Suspense / Espionage

Ages: 18 and up

I received e-copies of this series through the author and NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Since the series has three books and two novellas (with another novel on the way), I've divided the review into parts.

Winter's Heat

After putting her life on the line to protect classified intelligence, military psychologist Mia Kensington is on a cross-country road trip from hell with an intrusive save-the-day hero. She'd rather take her chances without the ruggedly handsome, cold-blooded operative who boasts an alpha complex and too many guns.

Colby Winters, an elite member of The Titan Group, has a single objective on his black ops mission: recover a document important to national security. It was supposed to be an easy in-and-out operation. But now, by any means necessary becomes a survival mantra when he faces off with a stunning woman he can't leave behind.

When Titan's safe houses are compromised, Colby stashes Mia at his home, exposing his secret--he's the adoptive father of an orphaned baby girl. Too soon, danger arrives and Mia lands in the hands of a sadistic cartel king with a taste for torture. As hours bleed into fear-drenched days, Colby races across the globe and through a firestorm of bullets to save the woman he can't live without.

My Thoughts:

This book jumps right into the action with a kidnapping and rescue in the first chapter, making me feel like I was watching an action movie. Despite that, it took me a little while to get into it. The pacing at first was a bit awkward, making me wonder once or twice what the heck was going on, but that cleared up in the first quarter of the book and it was smooth sailing from there on out with a fun, romantic adventure.

Mia and Colby are a good, straightforward pair of protagonists with excellent chemistry. They do have jump-into-bed-too-fast syndrome, but it was done well enough that they didn't lose the tension and spark that makes a romance entertaining. Plus they still had to learn each others' secrets. Arriving at Colby's home and meeting both his mother and adopted daughter was an interesting twist that added dimension to their relationship.

All in all, this was a fun novel with solid characters and storyline and a few spectacular action scenes mixed in.

Garrison's Creed

Nicola is an injured CIA agent on the run from a failed undercover operation. Her escape plan shatters when she slams into the man who buried her a decade ago. Cash Garrison. Her first and only love. Now, sexier than her best memory and cradling a sniper's rifle, he has questions she can't answer. Why was she alive? And armed?

Cash is an elite member of a black ops organization, The Titan Group. He thought Nicola died his senior year of college and swore off love to focus on a decade of military missions. But when she shows up behind enemy lines, bleeding out and wielding a weapon, his heart and mind are unsure how to proceed.

Titan and the CIA join forces to uncover a mole hidden in a network of international terrorists and homegrown mobsters, teaming Cash and Nicola again. When disaster strikes, Nicola's hidden past makes her the hunted target and Cash's best kill shot may not be enough to save them.

My Thoughts:

Oh, this book could have been written just for me. A hero and heroine with a messy, painful past relationship, long lost relatives, a faked death...I've always had this thing for characters who fake their own deaths. From the first page I was gleefully glued to the page as I watched the whole glorious disaster unfold.

Garrison's Creed didn't have the minor pacing weirdness that Winter's Chase had, so there was nothing to mar my enjoyment. This book would make an awesome movie. Danger, betrayal, romance...what's not to like? Cash and Nicola have a great dynamic; he's shocked and angry that she never told him she was alive, and she's never really stopped loving him. The sparks are enough to singe anyone.

The more of the series I read, the more I like the Titan team as a whole; their banter and teasing and loyalty. They fit well together, but they each have distinctive, interesting personalities. The more I read, the more clearly I can hear their different voices.

While I liked the first book, I loved this one.

Westin's Chase

Jared Westin knows his reputation and likes it. He gets the job done. No emotion. No baggage. That's why his elite ops company, The Titan Group, is better than the best. They complete projects classified as mission impossible.

And then, in walks a woman as tough as she is sexy. His counterpart in every way, should he choose to admit it.

Ousted undercover ATF agent Lilly Chase only answers to "Sugar." Jared is the only man who can see past her leather-and-lipstick demeanor, and that revelation is terrifying. She was fired for helping Titan on a questionable arrest she should've ignored, then partnered with Jared's rival on an assignment in Afghanistan.

Saving Sugar isn't a normal rescue operation. It pits Titan against its rival, Jared against his nemesis. Chasing Sugar's heart isn't a simple task, either. She fights him, fights them, always ready to run. Jared must risk his life to save her--the woman whose bravado and surprising sweetness has given him the one thing he never had. Love.

My Thoughts:

Jared's story. I was looking forward to it with great anticipation, and it did not disappoint in the slightest.Jared and Sugar had such a sizzling chemistry, there were sparks flying on every page. Since they first met, their relationship has been one of bantering, occasional colleagues. Both of them try very hard to keep it that way, even though their friends know that they are perfect for each other. When they get caught up in one dangerous situation after another, though...You can see where this is going. It was endlessly entertaining watching master-of-all-he-surveys Jared fall in love with madcap, independent Sugar.

The storyline was good, with an evil twist. It wasn't all that much of a surprise twist, because there was quite a bit of foreshadowing, but rather more of a oh, no, I can't believe this is actually happening kind of twist. It was evil, but I loved it. At least, once I got past my initial anger at its sheer evilness.

Like the other Titan novels so far, this book is just fun. Explosions, gunfights, betrayals, steamy romance and addictive as heck.

*****

Stay tuned for my reviews of the rest of the Titan Series thus far, coming soon. :)

Rating System: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence
1 (mild) through 10 (extreme). Ratings may contain spoilers.

Profanity:
I rate it 8.10 for strong language in all three books.

Sexuality:
I give it 8.10 for multiple descriptive scenes of sexuality.

Violence:
I rate it 8.10 for several scenes of violence, injuries, etc. and attempted rape.

                             Lieder Madchen

Novella Review: Wind-Up Hearts by Stan Swanson

Wind-Up Hearts
by Stan Swanson

Genre: Romance / Steampunk

Ages: 14 and up

I received an e-copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Description:

If one’s heart is constructed of metal and considered indestructible, can love and romance still find a place within? That is the question facing Henry Thackery who spends over a hundred years pursuing the woman of his dreams—Emily Harding. After Henry and Emily become recipients of the Merganthol Circulatory Assistance Device, we follow their journey from 1875 to the present day and Henry’s unflinching quest to convince Emily (the love of his life) to become his bride. Will Henry be successful in his pursuit of love or will Emily ultimately “break” his indestructible heart? A tale of romance more than science fiction, Wind-Up Hearts will tug at the strings of your heart whether it be mechanical or flesh and blood.

My Thoughts:

Aww... This novella is so sweet and so sad. It is the beautifully written tale of two friends, the very best of friends, who meet once a week to have lunch, talk about their lives, and wind up their clockwork hearts. The same as they have done every week for more than a hundred years. This is the sort of idea that I wish I had thought of first, just because I like it so much.

I am a die-hard romantic with steampunk tendencies, so it was almost inevitable that I fall in love with this story. Add word-perfect writing and I was hooked. There isn't a whole lot I can say about the story without spoiling anything because it was so short. It's a quiet story, made up of conversations between not-quite-lovers as they watch the world go by. It was a joy to watch their relationship unfold. But don't take my word for it. Read it yourself. Maybe cry a little at the end, just like I did.

Rating System: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence
1 (mild) through 10 (extreme). Ratings may contain spoilers.

Profanity:
I give it a 2.10 for 3 swearwords; two mild, one middling.

Sexuality:
I give it a 1.10 for mild sexual references.

Violence:
There was no violence in this story.


                              Lieder Madchen

Book Review: Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott

Heartbeat
by Elizabeth Scott

Genre: Young Adult / Contemporary / Romance / Tragedy

Ages: 13 and up

I received an e-copy of this book through NetGalley and Kismet Book Tours in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Description:

Since her mother's sudden death, Emma has existed in a fog of grief, unable to let go, unable to move forward—because her mother is, in a way, still there. She's being kept alive on machines for the sake of the baby growing inside her.

Estranged from her stepfather and letting go of things that no longer seem important—grades, crushes, college plans—Emma has only her best friend to remind her to breathe. Until she meets a boy with a bad reputation who sparks something in her—Caleb Harrison, whose anger and loss might just match Emma's own. Feeling her own heart beat again wakes Emma from the grief that has grayed her existence. Is there hope for life after death—and maybe, for love?

My Thoughts:

This book was surprisingly painful to read in the very best of ways. I cried more than once and had a lump in my throat for almost the entire novel. It's not a very long book, but every page has an emotional depth that made me feel like I was reading a bigger book. Heartbeat wasn't my usual cup of tea (too sad) but it grabbed me immediately and the more I read, the more I was pulled in.

I loved how the author slowly revealed layer after layer of Emma's feelings; her grief, her anger, her hurt. She started with the ones on the surface, then gradually dug into Emma's soul. It's probably one of the most perfectly written character arcs I have ever read, beautiful and heartbreaking. Reading it, I firmly agreed with her stepfather's decision to keep her mom on life support to give the baby a chance to live, but it was impossible not to empathize with how awful it would be to have to tell yourself every day that your mom was dead, even though her heart was still beating. Then as more layers were revealed...Ms. Scott is most definitely a master at writing emotional anguish and tearing the reader's heart in different directions.

The relationship between Emma and Caleb was soft and sweet and lovely. They come together through mutual understanding of what it is to lose someone, and with them your entire way of life. Their romance brought a little much-needed hope to the narrative, keeping the story from getting too depressing.

The secondary characters are just as well-written as the heroine, particularly Dan, Emma's stepfather, and Olivia, her best friend. Even the minor, hardly-in-the-story characters were memorable, like Olivia's parents. They gave the book a wonderful, multidimensional feel.

I highly recommend this book, but I must warn you to keep tissues at hand for the inevitable tears.

Rating System: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence 
1 (mild) through 10 (extreme). Ratings may contain spoilers.

Profanity:
I rate it a 3.10 for one or two mid-level words and some mild swearing.

Sexuality:
I give it a 3.10 for teenagers making out, kissing, etc.

Violence:
I rate it a 1.10 for references to fatal accidents.

                   Lieder Madchen

Series Review: The Mine Novels by Cynthia Eden 1-3

The Mine Series 1-3
by Cynthia Eden

Genre: Romance / Suspense / Mystery / Thriller / Action


Ages: 17 and up

I received e-copies of Mine to Keep and Mine to Hold through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. I decided to add Mine to Take to complete the trilogy and review them together.

Description:

Mine to Take

Sometimes you want someone so much…
Sometimes you need someone so much…
Lust can become love.
And love can turn into a deadly obsession.

***

Skye Sullivan knows that someone is watching her. Not just watching—stalking her. Months ago, Skye was involved in a dangerous car accident. The accident ended her dancing career and sent her fleeing back to Chicago. Skye is convinced that her stalker caused the crash, and she fears that he won’t stop pursuing her, not until she’s dead.

When someone breaks into her apartment in Chicago, Skye turns to the one man she believes can protect her—Trace Weston. Once, Trace was her lover. Two lost souls, they’d come together in a firestorm of need and desire. But then Trace had pushed her away. He’d joined the military, vanishing from her life. She’d put all of her emotion into dancing, and she’d tried to forget him.

Now Trace is one of the most successful men in the United States. Rich, driven, and carrying dark secrets, he agrees to help Skye. He’ll protect her from the danger that lurks in the darkness, but Trace wants more than to just be a guard for Skye.

He wants her. And he’ll take her. The years have changed him, hardened him. He’s not just a poor kid from the streets any longer. Now, he can have anything—or anyone—that he wants. And the one woman he has always wanted has just come back into his life. He won’t let her go again.

But with the threats mounting against Skye, she suspects that her stalker may be intimately close. He’s a man who knows her too well. As his attacks grow ever more dangerous, she realizes that if she trusts the wrong man, she could be making a fatal mistake.

Lust. Love. Obsession.

Just how far would you go in order to possess the one person you want the most?

Mine to Keep

Love is the most dangerous obsession…

Skye Sullivan is trying to put the pieces of her life back together. She survived a brutal stalker and escaped his abduction, and now she is looking to the future—a future that includes Skye’s lover, billionaire Trace Weston. Skye thinks the danger is finally over for her.

She’s dead wrong.

When Trace’s past comes back to haunt him, Skye discovers that the man she loves isn’t quite who he seems to be. Trace has been leading a double-life. An ex-special forces agent, his military training turned him into the perfect killing machine. He made more than his share of enemies during his time in the military—and as he built his security empire—and one of those enemies is striking back.

He won’t lose her.

Skye is the one weapon that can be used against Trace—his only vulnerability. But he won’t let her go—he can’t. Trace will do anything necessary to protect Skye. Anything. Yet when she discovers the secrets that he’s tried to keep hidden, Skye’s pain and rage may send her running directly into the cross-hairs of a killer…

Mine to Hold

She was one man’s obsession…

Nine years ago, Claire Kramer’s lover brutally killed her family, and he tried to kill her. She escaped, but she’s been haunted ever since that attack. Too afraid to trust another man and too worried that her past will catch up with her, Claire never gets too close to anyone. But then she meets Noah York.

He must have her.

Noah York is a man with secrets. The world sees him as a billionaire hotel tycoon, but Noah has a dark and dangerous side. For years, he worked covert military operations before he built his fortune. When it comes to death, Noah is a master. He knows that he should steer clear of Claire, but the white-hot attraction Noah feels for the delicate beauty is instant—and consuming.

He will never let her go.

Someone else is just as consumed by Claire—someone who will kill to possess her. And if Noah can’t stop the hunter in the darkness, he may just lose the one woman that he can’t live without.

My Thoughts:

Ms. Eden first caught my eye when I read an excerpt from one of her books. The intensity of her writing caught me immediately, so I set out to find a full novel. I found the covers a little off-putting in an 'oh dear, is it going to all be about sex?' sort of way; I was hoping to see her intensity put to use in more action and drama than just straight romance. Once I started reading, however, any and all doubts were erased. Sure, there was sex, but it didn't take over the story, despite the blatant covers. All of that lovely intensity hinted at in the excerpt was put into making creepy, dark mysteries full of emotional anguish; suspense at its best.

Mine to Take had a great dynamic from page one; two characters who love each other deeply but have been separated for a decade are brought together when Skye seeks out Trace, who left her, as her last hope against a stalker. While she sees him as a desperate measure, he sees her as a second chance. The two of them dance around each other warily, and it is most engrossing to watch. With some stories, the author does such a good job with the characters that I can practically feel them, and this is one of those stories.

The mystery in this novel is fairly simple, taking second place to the interactions between Skye and Trace, but that was okay. The villain could have been slightly more fleshed out like in some of Ms. Eden's other novels, be he managed to deliver a couple of shivery moments.

Mine to Keep picks up where the first book left off, with only a short period of time passing between them. Both Skye and Trace are suffering from nightmares after the events of Mine to Take, unable to forget how close they came to losing each other. Watching the different ways they react to what happened was fascinating; Skye struggles to return to a semblance of normalcy, to prove that she is not a victim, while Trace is determined to make sure that nothing bad ever touches her again, protecting her even when she doesn't want to be protected. Their relationship is strained almost to the breaking point as secrets are revealed and they learned things about themselves and each other that they never suspected before.

The mystery in Mine to Keep is much more complex than the one in the previous novel; I spent the book guessing and wondering and never quite figuring it out, and in the end...Wow. I thought Ms. Eden was intense before, but with this book the angst and suspense was through the roof. This is a great sequel, both building on the first book and surpassing it completely and setting up for an interesting third novel by introducing some lovely new characters.

Mine to Hold takes the series away from Skye and Trace, giving them a well-deserved break from murder and mayhem, and tells the story of Noah and Claire. I loved both of them on sight when they appeared in Mine to Keep and was very interested in both their pasts and their future. Claire has been running since she was sixteen, and desperation has driven her to Noah's door in search of work. Their relationship was very well written; him protective, her afraid to trust, neither of them able to stop. Their romance becomes downright fascinating, taking on that signature Cynthia Eden intensity, when Claire's enemies start dying and each of them thinks the other might be the one killing them, both jumping instinctively to protect the other whether they are guilty or not.

I figured out most of the mystery in Mine to Hold pretty early on, but there were a couple of surprises along the way and I loved the darker tenor to the novel. The story was more focused on what the villains and peril caused Noah and Claire to learn about each other than it was about the villains and peril themselves, which was fine with me. This is a wonderful continuation of the series, opening it up for more books about certain other characters, especially a certain man who has the worst luck with women...Oh, yes, I would love to read that book.

I recommend this series to those who like an edge of danger to their romance and spine-tensing suspense.


Rating System: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence 
1 (mild) through 10 (extreme). Ratings may contain spoilers.

Profanity:
I rate it an 8.10 for several uses of the f-word per book, as well as some mild and mid-level swearing.

Sexuality:
I rate it an 8.10 for some fairly descriptive scenes, innuendo, references, etc. throughout the series.

Violence:
I give it an average of 7.10 for murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, fights, blood, etc.

                                Lieder Madchen

Book Review: The Legend of Holly Claus by Brittney Ryan

The Legend of Holly Claus
by Brittney Ryan

Genre: Fantasy / Holiday / Romance / Adventure / Middle Grade

Ages: 8 and up

I received an e-copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Description:

Santa Claus is the King of Forever, Land of the Immortals. When one special boy writes to Santa asking what no other child has ever asked, a miracle occurs: Santa and Mrs. Claus are blessed with a daughter. But the birth of Holly Claus also brings about a terrible curse--from an evil soul named Herrikhan. Holly's heart is frozen, and the gates to Forever are locked, barring exit or entry.

As she grows into a beautiful and selfless young woman, Holly longs to break the spell that holds her people hostage. With four faithful and magical animal friends, she escapes to the wondrous world of Victorian New York, where she will face countless dangers, adventures, and a miracle all her own.

My Thoughts:

I"m not sure what led me to read this book, but I am very glad I did. Maybe it was the pretty cover, or the setting of mid-1800s New York. My family has never done 'Santa Claus' in any way, shape or form, so it was an unusual choice for me. However, from the very first page, I fell in love.

The Legend of Holly Claus is, in essence, a fairytale, and I'm a sucker for fairytales. The infant princess, Holly, is cursed by a terrible warlock and is then raised in a very sheltered, lonely way. She has a few unusual, loyal to the bitter end friends (I love Euphemia and Empy in particular). Holly grows up looking at the world from the outside, yearning to experience life outside of the magical palace that keeps her safe, but isolated. She is a sweet, fairly simple character, which would in other stories come across as boring, but in this one it was in keeping with the straightforward simplicity of the fairytale-style adventure, and with the curse that has frozen her heart in a state of perpetual innocence.

After breaking out of Forever, her homeland, Holly lands on her feet in New York, finding a place to work at a toyshop, which is owned by a man named Mr. Carroll, a brooding, enigmatic figure who lurks behind curtains and never says a word that is not bad-tempered. Then the dashing Mr. Hartman sweeps her off her feet. The men in the story are much more complicated then Holly, adding a bit of darkness to keep the novel from being to sweet.

Ms. Ryan's writing has a certain charm to it that I was unable to resist. While this book is usually to be found in the children's section of a library or bookstore, it has enough weight and intelligence to entertain any age of reader. I've already read and enjoyed it more than once. I'll be reading it again next year, a Christmas tradition in the making.

Rating System: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence 
1 (mild) through 10 (extreme). Ratings may contain spoilers.

Profanity:
I don't remember any swearing, but there might have been a 'damn' or 'drat'. Sorry, but my kindle isn't behaving today and refuses to do word searches.

Sexuality:
I rate it a 1.10 for some mildly sensual vibes and a kiss or two.

Violence:
I rate it a 5.10 for murder, attempted murder, and some brief violence, never graphically described. 

                          Lieder Madchen

Book Review: Forgotten Sins by Rebecca Zanetti

Forgotten Sins
by Rebecca Zanetti

Genre: Suspense / Romance / Action / Adventure / Mystery / Science Fiction

Ages: 17 and up

I received an e-copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Description:

His Secrets Can Destroy Her

From the moment Josie laid eyes on sexy, mysterious Shane Dean, she was in love. Their desire ignited a passionate affair, and within weeks, Shane had slipped a ring on her finger. It seemed her every fantasy was coming true . . . until her new husband disappeared without a trace. Now, two years and one broken heart later, Josie is shocked by the hospital calls: Shane has been found . . . at a crime scene with no memory of how he got there.

Her Love Can Save Him

Shane can't remember the blue-eyed angel at his bedside—or who he even is—but he knows something isn't right. His hearing is razor sharp, his physical strength incredible, and the urge to protect Josie overwhelming. For powerful enemies are hunting him, and Josie is the key to discovering why. As Shane struggles to unravel his past, dangerous new truths come to light. Can he protect the only woman he's ever loved? And can Josie trust a man she thought she knew—one who carries such a deadly secret?

My Thoughts:

I've been on a romantic suspense kick recently and this one really managed to catch my eye. From the first chapter, the characters grabbed me and I started asking questions. There was a bit of a Bourne Identity vibe with hints of sci-fi, fun action scenes and really fun characters. Plus, I simply can't resist a good amnesia story.

Josie's life gets turned upside down when she is called to the hospital to see her husband, who remembers nothing of his life before that day, including walking out on her without a word two years previously. Unfortunately, Josie can't help him remember much since he never told her about himself even while they were married. Things just go downhill from there, or, from a reader's perspective, they just get more entertaining by the minute.

Shane and Josie's relationship is interesting and well written, as bit by bit his mysterious past (I love a hero with a mysterious past, don't you?) is revealed in all its dark, painful glory. Josie struggles with whether or not she can trust him, even as she is forced to rely on him completely to stay alive. There emotions just clicked for me. Shane is almost ridiculously tough in a number of ways, but when it comes to Josie he can't seem to figure out what to do. He sees her as this almost fantasy creature, kind and 'soft' and in need of protection at all times. Josie might be soft in some respects, but she is also feisty and tougher than he thinks, managing to rescue herself on more than one occasion.

I adored Shane's brothers. They each have their own unique talents and personalities - though they try to hide them - and a complete, unbreakable loyalty to each other. They might beat each other to a pulp every once in a while, but heaven help anyone else who so much as lifts a finger to harm one of them. I'm looking forward to reading the upcoming books about Matt and Nathan.

Reading this book is comparable to watching a not particularly original but well made, well acted action movie. It's a fun way to spend a couple of hours on a rainy afternoon, or a cold, frosty afternoon in my case.

Rating System: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence 
1 (mild) through 10 (extreme). Ratings may contain spoilers.

Profanity:
I rate it a 7.10 for 28 uses of the f-word (Don't you love the search feature on kindle? It makes my job so much easier.), as well as multiple instances of mild to mid-level swearing.

Sexuality:
I give it an 8.10 for a few fairly descriptive scenes and some innuendo and references.

Violence:
I rate it an 8.10 for murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, fistfights, torture (not graphically described), etc.

                                      Lieder Madchen